LUNA NERA is a new Netflix series. The story focuses on a group of women accused of witchcraft in 17th century Italy. It’s very much told in the style of a dark adventure which is something I always enjoy. Read our Luna Nera Season 1 review here!
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- Review: Netflix casts a lukewarm spell with ‘Luna Nera’ The Daily Dot 02-03 As fantasy and sci-fi fans across the globe try to fill the Game of Thrones -sized hole in their hearts, more and more streaming services are stepping up to the plate.
Season 1 |
Episode Guide
Omen– | Review Score – 3.5/5
The Book – | Review Score – 3/5
Voices – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Fate – | Review Score – 3/5
Weapons – | Review Score – 3/5
Light – | Review Score – 3/5
The Book – | Review Score – 3/5
Voices – | Review Score – 3.5/5
Fate – | Review Score – 3/5
Weapons – | Review Score – 3/5
Light – | Review Score – 3/5
Released a week after The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Italian Netflix original Luna Nera had quite the challenge to stand out, even moreso given the saturated market of other supernatural series. Despite a promising dark episode to kick things off, the series fails to reach its potential, oftentimes lacking substance with many under-developed plot points and agenda-driven writing, the latter of which becoming more present as the episodes tick along. While it isn’t an inherently bad series, it’s also one that doesn’t do enough to break through the realm of mediocrity.
The story takes place in 17th century Italy, revolving around Ade and her brother who live in a world where women who are suspected of witchcraft are prosecuted, hunted by a group calling themselves the Benandanti. After losing their grandmother, Ade and her brother escape and find themselves under the protection of a group of ancient witches. There, she finds out that she’s the chosen one and harnesses magical powers, quickly falling in love with Pietro, son of the Benandanti’s leader, Sante. From here, Ade faces many challenges across the 6 episode series, including trying to figure out her past and who she really is.
On the surface, Luna Nera has all the ingredients to be another decent supernatural series. The first episodes set the scene well, offering a dark tone and introducing some interesting topics, including the long-running debate between religion and science. However, this is quickly discarded in favour of concentrating more on the romantic drama between Ade and Pietro, following by some heavy and clumsy agenda-driven writing.
It’s not all bad though; the overall story is intriguing and the characters are really likable too. We also find out a little more about the origin of the witches and their magic, even if this isn’t explored in as much detail as one may expect. The chemistry between Valente and Leptis, who form an unlikely bond over revenge and justice, is arguably the one highlight here and helps add some depth to the character interactions. Ade and Pietro together however, lack in chemistry which is problematic, especially given the obvious nods toward Romeo and Juliet as they both come from opposing families.
As mentioned previously, Luna Nera’s most interesting topic is also the one it fails to tackle head on. There’s scope here for a fascinating debate between science and religion, especially given the teasing ideas around how each attempts to explain witchcraft but it’s frustratingly abandoned midway through the show. Production-wise, Luna Nera looks great, with some dark and muted colours throughout but also offering up some dazzling special effects when magic is involved.
When it comes to supernatural and fantasy shows, Netflix has a lot of variety on the platform, especially with its most recent and popular offerings like Sabrina and The Witcher. Unfortunately, Luna Nera pales by comparison, relying far too heavily on its dramatic love stories and feminism, which is a shame as the series has some serious potential. Still, the story is quite interesting with some surprising twists and likable characters along for the ride. Luna Nera is unlikely to cast a spell on its audience and stand out among other, more successful fantasy series of its kind but if this is green-lit for a second season, there’s plenty of scope for this to change.
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- 5/10Verdict - 5/10
Our favorite time of the year is here! The witching month just started, and what better way to celebrate than getting into a cool witch-themed series. If you’ve been struggling to find a not-so-pop version of witches, then this show is the solution to all your problems.
Luna Nera is the Netflix series all us occult enthusiasts have been waiting for. We’re not saying we don’t love our classics such as Hocus Pocus, or even more recent takes like The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Still, we wish we had a show like Luna Nera a long time ago.
We think Luna Nera should be getting much more attention. We even made a list of everything we love about this series. Here’s why we think you should be watching Luna Nera right now.
Perfect plot
We love modern stories about witches, but we also love seeing historical fiction pieces. Luna Nera is about a young woman named Ade, who lived in Italy in the seventeenth century.
The best way to tell you about the plot without spoiling the series is by saying this is a coming-of-age story about a girl who is accused of being a witch. Ade discovers she has an unconventional talent and now has to hide in order to avoid being executed. Fortunately for her, she’s able to find a group of women who help her out.
Luna Nera definitely has a strong religious theme, which suits the story well. Throughout the series, we get to see the contrast between witchcraft & Christianity, making the themes even more interesting.
Production
Luna Nera does an excellent job of setting up the correct mood. Costumes, photography, and sets are all en pointe. Every one of these aspects makes the viewer feel immersed immediately.
Luna Nera Tv Series
Maybe the only thing that threw us off was the music. There was a moment in which the music choice for a scene was a cover of “Somewhere Only We Know” (originally by Keane). The cover is well done, and the arrangement fits the rest of the series, but it’s too modern & too popular not to feel like something’s off.
We also like the use of special effects in Luna Nera. Overdone special effects can easily ruin an otherwise good production. In this case, we feel like special effects are properly used in the series, and help the story instead of distracting the viewer from it.
Girl power
Luna O Nera
Witchcraft has usually been interpreted as a tool for women empowerment. Thankfully, Luna Nera takes the opportunity to showcase witchcraft as both fantasy and historical food for thought by tackling these topics.
We see our main character explore themes such as womanhood, family, religion, and love without losing her perspective as a woman living through challenging times. We love how seamlessly this feminist perspective is captured. We have many strong female characters, but it never feels as if they’re trying too hard to appeal to the feminist audiences.
Luna Nera Reviews
Another great aspect is how the male characters are also complex, without becoming the story’s focal point. We get to see a love story told throughout the series without it overshadowing the main plot. Magical vegas login. This is definitely what we wanted to see: love being shown as an important aspect of everyone’s life – but not the only one.
Amazing cast
We’re amazed at how easily we started caring for the characters in this series. The series does a great job of making the audience feel what they want us to feel towards the characters.
Antonia Fotaras plays Ade, our main character. The twenty-year-old actress plays a sixteen-year-old, and not only is she incredibly talented, but also extremely cute.
Every single member of the cast does an incredible job. How could we not feel for all of them? Y’know, except the evil ones.
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Luna Nera Tv Show Reviews
Luna Nera is available on Netflix, and you’re just in time to check it out. So far, only the first season is out, but we’re already excited about the second one. You should check out this awesome show about witches to get you in a witching mood for the month.